1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to drug-delivery accessories for an implantable medical device, and more particularly, to independently-manufactured and physically distinct drug-delivery accessories for an implantable medical device.
2. Related Art
Medical devices having one or more implantable components, generally referred to herein as implantable medical devices, have provided a wide range of therapeutic benefits to patients (sometimes referred to herein as recipients) over recent decades. Some implantable medical devices include an implantable elongate component that itself performs a therapeutic function, or serves as a carrier for devices that perform such function. Such devices include, for example, devices that perform imaging, detection of physiological conditions, delivery of drugs, application of electrical stimulation, and so on. For example, cochlear implants include an elongate component configured to apply stimulation to a recipient and/or receive signals from a recipient's tissue.
Traditionally, there has been interest in delivering bioactive substances or chemicals (generally and collectively referred to herein as “drugs”) in conjunction with a cochlear implant and other implantable medical device. In one conventional drug delivery approach, the implantable medical device is coated with a bioactive substance. In another conventional approach, a bioactive substance is integrated into the polymeric coating of the implantable medical device. These and other conventional approaches typically require the incorporation of the drug into the implantable medical device during the manufacturing process of the device. This introduces a number of difficult problems and challenges for the manufacturing and sterilization processes, particularly for complex implantable medical devices. In other conventional drug delivery approaches, liquid drugs are contained in an external or implanted reservoir and are transferred to a target location in a patient.